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A High -Linolenate Diet Suppresses Antigen-Induced Immunoglobulin E Response and Anaphylactic Shock in Mice^1,2,

Department of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, 3-1 Tanabe-dori, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467, Japan

Mice were fed for 2 mo diets having ratios of -linolenate [18:3(n-3)] to linoleate [18:2(n-6)] of <0.01, 0.36, 1.0 and 3.9. Proportions of safflower seed oil and perilla seed oil were adjusted to obtain these ratios. The dietary -linolenate to linoleate balance was reflected in the proportion of (n-3) and (n-6) highly unsaturated fatty acids with 20- and 22-carbon chains in spleen phospholipids, but the ratio did not affect the proportion of T lymphocyte subsets expressing CD4 and CD8 antigens in splenic leukocytes. The immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM responses against sheep red blood cells when estimated as plaque-forming cells present in spleen, were not affected significantly by the diets. However, the serum hemagglutinin titer was slightly but significantly higher in the high -linolenate diet group [18:3(n-3)/18:2(n-6) = 3.9] than in the dietary groups with 18:3(n-3) to 18:2(n-6) ratios of 0.36 and <0.01. In contrast, the IgE antibody response against egg albumin, as well as the mortality from anaphylactic shock induced by a second challenge with antigen, was significantly lower in the high -linolenate diet group [18:3(n-3)/18:2(n-6) < 0.01] group. These results, together with the reported suppressive effects of a high -linolenate diet on the formation of lipid-derived allergic mediators, support the hypothesis that raising the (n-3) to (n-6) ratios of diets would be effective in reducing the severity of immediate-type allergic hypersensitivity.

KEY WORDS: • -linolenic acid • linoleic acid • anaphylactic shock • immunoglobulin E • antibody • mice

¹ Supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.

² The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 USC section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

³ To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Manuscript received 30 June 1993. Revision accepted 7 March 1994.